Mitsugu Matsugane
is a character in the Yakuza series; he appears as a major character in Judgment. Mitsugu Matsugane is the aging Patriarch of the Tojo Clan-affiliated Matsugane Family. Having lost his desire to move the family forward years ago, Matsugane slowly lost power within his own faction, and was reduced to an authority in name only. Matsugane sees his men as his children, and he personally oversaw the growth of many of them, including Captain Kyohei Hamura and former member Masaharu Kaito. He is also a father figure to protagonist Takayuki Yagami. History Background Life as a yakuza The earliest known detail about Matsugane's life was his friendship with Ryuzo Genda, whom he met during the 1970s. While Matsugane chose to become a yakuza, Gennda became a lawyer and founded the law firm Genda Law Office. Despite their differences in life decisions, the two remained friends until Matsugane's death over four decades later. Mitsugu Matsugane came to power before or during the 1990s. He joined the Tojo Clan yakuza organization, and was eventually allowed to start his own subsidiary, the Matsugane Family. Some of the men who worked under him, such as future Captain Kyohei Hamura and Lieutenant Masaharu Kaito, were also raised as surrogate sons by Matsugane. Matsugane was an ambitious man and always inspired to make his family a direct subsidiary to the Tojo Clan, but while he did hold some power to his name, he never managed to reach his ambitions, and eventually gave up on them completely at some point prior to 2017. In 1998, Matsugane began to hear about several run-ins Kaito had with a teenager boy called Takayuki Yagami. In one such instance, Matsugane arrived at the scene, to Kaito's surprise. Upon meeting Yagami himself, Matsugane was amused by the boy's persistence and playfully questioned Yagami's mental state. When Yagami talked back, Matsugane chastised the young boy about his actions and reckless behavior. He noted similarities between Yagami and his own past self, and encouraged him to pave a better path than a thug. Before leaving the alley with Kaito, Matsugane offered to teach the young Yagami everything about survival in Kamurocho. Yagami began to frequent at the Matsugane Family HQ, and Matsugane developed particular fondness for his new son figure, though this bond with Yagami did worsen Matsugane's relationship with Hamura. Matsugane later encouraged Yagami's desire to become a lawyer, funded his law degree studies and helped him study for the bar exam - which Yagami passed. With his connections to Genda, Matsugane secured Yagami a job in Genda Law Office. Decline of power Over the years, Matsugane lost much of his drive and will to lead the yakuza life, and in the process his desires to move the Matsugane Family through the Tojo Clan's ranks weakened. This decline in motivation also began to affect the family's standing, and the Matsugane Family had difficulties securing funds and paying tribulation money to the Tojo Clan. Hamura, who by then was promoted to a Captain of the family, witnessed this decline and realized the family's troubles. With his shady connections to contract killings, Hamura succeeded in saving the Matsugane Family from collapse. He ultimately became the highest-grossing officer under Matsugane, which also brought him more power within the family than Matsugane himself. By 2017, Matsugane was reduced to a figurehead of the family, with the real power laying in Hamura's hands. Matsugane's last influence in the family was through Kaito, who by then became a Lieutenant. In spite of this, Matsugane could only watch as Hamura eclipsed his power. Later the same year, an armed robbery orchestrated by Hamura took place in the family's offices and Kaito was held to blame. Matsugane, who was with Yagami at the same time, arrived to see Hamura ordering Kaito to commit yubitsume, and expressed anger at the events before him. Hamura informed Matsugane of the robbery and confirmed handling the news to higher-ups in the Tojo Clan, to Matsugane's bitter dismay. And while Hamura argued that the punishment was required, Matsugane dismissed it as a void punishment to his lost money. However, Yagami, through his manipulations, attempted to save Kaito from any yakuza punishment, an attempt Matsugane quietly approved of. Under pressure from Hamura and due to Yagami's involvement, Matsugane officially expelled Kaito from the Matsugane Family, thus defending him from any yakuza punishment due to him being a civilian. As Yagami pointed out that the yubitsume cannot be performed on Kaito, Matsugane smiled at the outcome. Events of Judgment Hamura's trial Going into hiding Pursue of Hamura Death Legacy and influence Character Personality Physical appearance Gameplay Behind the scenes Trivia Gallery Appearances References Category:Characters in Judgment